Will Moneymaker

"At Last I Slept" Music From the Doctor’s Office, Room 135 youtube.com/watch?v=CfzX2u…

We are happy to announce that the third printing of Pastor Don's signature book, Trusting God in Trying Times, is now available in paperback, exclusively from our website. The content is identical, and the print quality is still excellent, but the new format allows us to offer it at a steep discount from the original hardcover version. It is perfect for small group studies or to have a few copies on hand for those you encounter who are in times of sorrow or need. Now is the time to stock up! Be sure also to notice the other trustworthy resources we have to cultivate “Biblical Thinking for Biblical Living.” ttwpress.com/product/trusti…

Well, hi there. Long time, no see. I decided to interrupt my Facebook hiatus briefly, in part to update you on some ministry stuff I’ve been doing, and in other part so you wouldn’t forget about me permanently. Haha. 1. The Current War I have multiple friends in that part of the world or with deep interests in the people there. One contact, not given to hyperbole and in a country not under US attack, forebodingly told me the situation for them is “very bad.” We do well as believers to look beyond the headlines and remember the brethren in those locations. I am quite concerned for them. Long before the fighting began, some supportive friends undertook an Arabic translation of my evangelistic book, An Easy Guide to Missing Heaven. Perhaps the intervening chaos will create a more strategic opportunity for that content. I certainly hope so. 2. My Recent Pulpit I just concluded a five-part series taking a fresh look at prayer. I know, I know. Everyone preaches on prayer. But if we have been getting it right, why is there so little power spiritual in the midst of all the conferences and book sales over the past 25 years? The truth is, many people who are saved by grace pray as if they approach God by works as they trudge through their prayer lists, repetitively recite the same earthly requests, and watch the time to make sure they’ve punched the clock for the day. No wonder it all seems so binding and irksome. It’s all premised on a wrong view of God and what our Lord actually taught on prayer. There is a much better and far more encouraging way. In the comments, I will link to the first message in the series. “Praying to Our Willing God.” If you find that helpful, you can track down the other messages to round out the subject. The feedback has been positive and conveys a new sense of liberation for those who have been with us. 3. My Future Books I’m at a combination of a crossroads and a stalemate as I look to the future of my writing ministry. During my FB hiatus, I have done more writing work but there is no imminent release of my next book. The people who watch numbers for me tell me that it would be worthwhile to expand the publications side of my labors. I’m grateful for the positive reception that you all have given that lies behind their assessment. The sad reality, for now, is that I lack the operational support that I need to make more books happen in the midst of my pastoral ministry. It’s a real conundrum for me. So I’m living day-by-day and waiting on the Lord for His wisdom and provision. I’m not quite so vain as to regard my work as important. I just want to be a good steward, especially as I get older. The day is quickly passing and nighttime approaches. I’m grateful to the Lord for His many mercies. I’m content to be in His hands. So there you have it. In posting today, I wanted to let you know I haven’t forgotten you. I hope you are well. “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). ~ Pastor Don Green

"Humming Along" Music From the Doctor’s Office, Room 124 youtube.com/watch?v=-9rrpR…

No pretty picture today. Well, I’m back in the hospital again, dealing with the same issue. My INR was 3.9, which means my blood was too thin, and it triggered another serious bleeding episode like I’ve had before... facebook.com/share/p/1Gdssm…

"Paging Player One" Music From the Doctor’s Office, Room 134 youtube.com/watch?v=JKgpSY…

"The Sound You Can See" Read the Article: MoneymakerPhotography.com

"River in Motion" moneymakerphotography.com/when-is-the-ne…

"Passing Through"

"Making Time for Yourself" moneymakerphotography.com/making_time_fo…

"Portraying Raw Emotion in Photography: A Lesson from Helen Levitt" moneymakerphotography.com/portraying-raw… Helen Levitt is one of my favorite street photographers. As a pioneer in photography, she had a natural ability to capture the essence of her subjects. Wonder, grace, joy, anguish, hope, and love are inscribed on the faces of her subjects, as clearly as if penned on paper. This raw emotion is the inspiration that transforms a photograph from a mere snapshot to a work of art, and this is the lesson that every photographer should take from Levitt...

"Exploring Polar Patterns in Creative Work" moneymakerphotography.com/bridging-sound… My brain does this thing where photography and sound keep borrowing ideas from each other. I will be setting up a shot, thinking about light and shadow, and suddenly, I am thinking about microphones. Or I will be setting up a mic, and I start thinking about lenses. Both are about choosing what you want and choosing what you do not want. With a camera, you make decisions that shape what the viewer sees. You pick a lens. You choose an angle. You decide what is sharp and what is soft. You decide what stays in the frame and what gets cut out. With audio, it is the same kind of thinking. You still pick a tool. You still aim it. You still decide what matters most. The big difference is that sound is more complex to “see,” so people sometimes forget it is a craft full of choices. This whole subject came back to me because a friend asked a simple question. “Do you have a dynamic microphone?” That question pulled a memory out of storage instantly...

I wanted to share a quick update and also say thank you. A few days ago, I got up early for my cystoscopy appointment. I got dressed, grabbed what I needed, and headed out the door. On the drive over, I prayed. I thanked the Lord for getting me this far, and I asked Him for peace, steady hands for the doctor, and a good report. While I was driving, I also kept thinking and praying for others who are carrying heavier loads than I am. Some are dealing with very serious news, long hospital stays, and hard days that do not let up. Some are strong believers who love Christ and still suffer in ways most people never see. When it was time for the test, I just tried to rest in God’s control. No matter what the report said, He was still on the throne. Here is the good news. The report came back cancer-free, and my doctor said everything looks great. I cannot tell you how thankful I am. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and checked on me. I really do appreciate it. The next test will be in 1 year. He said he may be able to do it in his office next time instead of the hospital, which would save a lot of money. This is something I will have to keep checking every year for the rest of my life, and I am thankful we are able to stay on top of it. He also wants to keep a close eye on things because I take biologic medicine for Crohn’s disease. Right now, I am on Entyvio, which is more gut focused. The hard part is it is not keeping my Crohn’s in remission, so we may need to switch medicines. I really want to avoid a full body immune suppressing drug if possible. I am also on a prednisone taper. As the dose drops, my joints and legs can hurt pretty bad. Last week, when I was down to 15 mg, it got so bad I could barely walk. I tried heat and creams, and nothing really helped. Since I had to be off my blood thinner for the procedure, I did take a little ibuprofen, and it helped a lot. Now I am back on the blood thinner again, so I cannot take ibuprofen, but thankfully, I am feeling pretty good right now. Hopefully, you will not hear much more about bladder issues from me. I have dealt with this for a long time, and I am grateful for another clean report. Philippians 4:6–7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Thank you again for your prayers, and thank you, Lord, for Your mercy and Your care.

Yep, that's me back at the doctor’s office, taking care of the next step. An EKG and a meeting with anesthesia as I get ready for my next cystoscopy. The last two cystoscopies were cancer-free, and the doctor said my bladder looked healthy. I am hoping I get the same kind of report this week. 😀 The only downside is that this has to be done every year, and that takes a toll in several different ways. Still, I am thankful to the Lord for carrying me through it, and I am trusting Him again for this next one. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

"The Feelings of Photography" People often tell me photography is about memory. I agree. I also think that is only part of the story. When I pick up a camera, I can feel several things at once. Wonder. Grief. Pride. Tenderness. Sometimes, even discomfort. Over time, I have noticed those feelings tend to come from four places: time, attention, distance, and responsibility. Time shows up first. A photograph holds a moment still, but it also quietly says, “That moment is already gone.” That is why a single image can comfort me and sting me at the same time. Roland Barthes wrote about this in Camera Lucida. He described how some photos carry one small detail that pierces you, something that suddenly makes the scene feel living and makes the loss feel real. He called that detail the punctum. You do not need the term to know the experience. You have probably felt it, too. It is the tiny thing you cannot stop looking at. Attention is the next source. Photography trains my attention in a way few other habits do. When I carry a camera, I start noticing light on a wall, a look that flashes across someone’s face for half a second, and patterns most people walk right past. Looking becomes slower. It becomes more specific. That practice changes daily life. A simple walk can feel richer because I am actually seeing what is there. This is one reason I find photography calming. The camera gives my mind a clear job: look closely, choose carefully, wait for the moment that feels true. Distance is the strange one. A photograph can feel close and far at the same time. I can hold a photo of someone in my hand, yet they are not there. I can stare at a place I have never visited, and still feel something tug at me. That blend can create longing. Susan Sontag warned that photography can turn the world into something we consume and collect, something we try to possess. She had a point. A camera can become a way of taking without caring. Still, distance can also create empathy. A well made photo can make another person’s life feel vivid, even if we are worlds apart. Then there is responsibility. Photography carries power, whether we admit it or not. Pointing a camera at someone is not neutral. Sharing an image can shape how people are seen. Documentary work, war coverage, and street photography all bring up hard questions about consent, dignity, and context. This ethical side is part of what makes photography serious to me. I am not only a viewer. I am also a translator, and translators can be careful or careless. The medium keeps asking me: What am I showing? What am I leaving out? Who benefits? Who could be harmed? When I do photography with care, all of these feelings can exist in the same frame. The result can be more than a pleasing image. It can feel like an encounter. When that happens, the photograph becomes more than proof that something happened. It becomes a way of paying attention to life as it is, and to people as they are. I come back to photography for that reason. It helps me notice what I would miss, honor what I would forget, and handle what I am given with a little more care. That is the kind of memory I trust. MoneymakerPhotography.com

"Cadillac Eyes" I took this photo, and it took me back to my mom's Cadillac. It was one of those big cars that only got a few miles to the gallon, but it would glide down the road like it was riding on air. One of the neat things, when I was young, was the headlight dimmer. There was a sensor on the front of the car that would notice an oncoming car and drop the high beams down. After the car passed, the high beams would pop back up. Sometimes it did not work right, so you could still do it yourself with the floor button, that little push button you hit with your left foot. We went a lot of places in that Cadillac. We drove to Virginia to visit Grandma. We went to flea markets, grocery shopping, and so many neat little places in between. But the place I keep thinking about is driving around Hinton, West Virginia. The roads were tight, and the old Avis Bridge was even tighter. It was built for horse and buggies back in the day, and the sidewalks squeeze in so close that you feel like your tires are going to scrape. Somehow Mom still guided that big Cadillac through there, passing other cars, staying calm, and never losing control. She really could maneuver that car. And I have always been a fan of Cadillacs. My aunt Peggy had one too, and it was the same thing. Smooth, strong, and full of power. She only paid about $100 for that Cadillac from a friend. Every time I look at this photo, I am right back in the passenger seat with Mom. MoneymakerPhotography.com

"Silent Bloom" Location: Chicago Botanical Gardens MoneymakerPhotography.com

"What I Notice" When I studied photography and videography in college, I started noticing something I had missed for years, how many objects artists placed in a scene. Before that, I would walk through galleries and wonder why people stood in front of certain paintings for so long. I did not understand what kept their attention. Later, after learning how painters set up their scenes, I began to see what they were looking at. Painters who used one object were usually making that one item the main focus. Giorgio Morandi did this often. One bottle or one bowl in a quiet space. With only one subject, everything in the painting works around it, including the background. When painters used two objects, they created a simple connection. Dutch painters like Pieter Claesz often placed one object in front and the other behind it. Your eye naturally moves between the two, noticing their size and shape. With three objects, the scene gained structure. Many painters used groups of three because it helped keep things balanced. Three points gave the scene order and made it easier to follow. Some painters used four objects, but the scene still felt organized. One object usually stood out more than the others. The rest supported it through spacing and placement. Nothing was added by accident. Foreground and background came from simple choices. Clear shapes were placed in front. Softer details stayed behind. Taller objects were set toward the back, and shorter ones came forward. These ideas were used long before cameras and still apply today. The same ideas work when taking photos of people. One person becomes the focus. Two people show a connection. Three people add balance. Group photos take more planning so everyone fits naturally in the frame. In this photo with the apple and the old oil can, the setup follows the same two object idea painters have used for a long time, with one item in front and one behind. Learning this changed how I look at art. I do not rush past paintings anymore. I pay attention to how many subjects are there and where they are placed. Once I noticed that, everything in the frame made more sense. moneymakerphotography.com